It's a Gift

media release: USA | 1934 | DCP | 68 min.

Director: Norman Z. McLeod

Cast: W.C. Fields, Kathleen Howard, Baby LeRoy

In one of the funniest movies ever made, W.C. Fields stars as henpecked husband and forever put-upon “Everyman” Harold Bissonette (accent grave). Our hero battles clanking milk bottles, hard-of-hearing blind men, barren land plots, and Baby LeRoy all while attempting to make a better life for himself and his family. And no, he doesn’t know Karl LaFong! Preceded by W.C. Fields in The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933, 20 min.), a wonderfully bizarre little short about a night that’s not fit “for man nor beast!”

What is summer without summer movies? At the Cinematheque between June 25 and August 1, every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evening will come alive with free cinematic excitement. Join us for salutes to recently departed film legends David Lynch and Gene Hackman, discover the passionate cinephilia of Claude Lelouch, or sample some 70s Hong Kong martial arts mayhem. There’s more: W.C. Fields, punk rockers & zombies, a 60s Japanese masterwork, and a dazzling Euro bank heist thriller. All programs begin at 7 p.m. in the regular Cinematheque venue, 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue. 

Admission free for all screenings, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions.